A MAN has been charged with kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and murdering her parents after the teenager escaped three months of captivity.

Jayme Closs had been missing since her parents were found shot dead in their rural Wisconsin home in October. Following a nationwide search, the girl managed to flee from a remote cabin where she was being held. Police have now charged Jake Patterson with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping.

The child's disappearance made national news, sparking massive searches, with 1,500 volunteers scouring woods and fields in suburban Minneapolis, and the offer of a £19,500 ($25,000) reward for her safe return.

Jake Patterson is unemployed and has no criminal record in Wisconsin, authorities said.

Sheriff Fitzgerald said he was not sure whether Mr Patterson and Jayme knew each other.